26th Images Festival Awards Announced!

A HUGE thank you to our audiences, funders, supporters, community partners and especially artists -- you've all contributed to make Images Festival number 26 a year to remember!

Congratulations to the 2013 Images Festival Award Winners!

We announced our award winners on Saturday April 20 at MOCCA, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art followed by a celebratory Closing Night Gala: Corredor by Toronto's Alexandra Gelis with live accompaniment by Hamid Drake and David Mott then our closing party for artists, supporters and festival-goers. Special thanks to our 2013 audiences and supporters!

Our 2013 Jury included Michelle Jacques, Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; Gye-joong Kim, film/videomaker and co-founder/programmer at EXiS, the Experimental Film + Video Festival in Seoul and Jean Marie Teno, Africa's pre-eminent documentary filmmaker who has been producing films on the colonial and post-colonial history of Africa for over 25 years.

*Look for our Off Screen & Live Projects Calls for Submissions for 2014 soon with a July deadline.

*On Screen (single channel) call for submissions and call for Guest Curatorial proposals will launch in July with deadlines in October.

AWARDS

Images PrizeSponsored by student lawyer and filmmaker Jason Sacha, this is the grand prize of the festival, awarded in recognition of the Best Canadian Media Artwork. The recipient receives a $1,000 cash prize.Adele Horne (Nova Scotia/Los Angeles) for her film "Maintenance"

Deluxe Cinematic Vision AwardThis prize is sponsored by Deluxe and honours excellence and innovation in the visual realization of a work by a Canadian film or video artist. The recipient receives $2,500 worth of production services in the Toronto office generously donated by Deluxe.Dan Browne (Toronto) for his film "memento mori" which screened in our "Before Our Eyes" curated shorts program

On Screen AwardSponsored by festival supporter Paul Bain, this award honours the strongest new international film or video in the festival. The recipient receives a $1,000 cash prize.Jane Gillooly (Boston) for her film "Suitcase of Love and Shame"

OCADU Off Screen AwardSponsored by the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), this award honours the strongest new Canadian or international installation or new media work in the festival. The recipient receives a $500 cash prize.Andrea Geyer (New York) for her installation "Sound Giving Will Feeling (an insistent entity reached)" on view at A Space Gallery (401 Richmond Street West, Suite 110) until May 25

Steam Whistle Homebrew AwardPresented by Steam Whistle Brewing, this award honours excellence and promise in a local artist. The recipient receives a $500 cash prize and Steam Whistle prize pack.Ariana Andrei (Toronto) for her film "The Timeslide" which screened in our guest curated Toronto showcase "mmNemonic DVices" program

Overkill AwardThis award was established by the Images Festival in 2000 to honour former Executive Director Deirdre Logue, (1996 through 1999 festivals) and is presented annually to a film, video or installation artist whose work approaches extremes of incorrigibility through form and/or content and challenges our notions of edgy, experimental practice. Sponsored by an anonymous donor, the recipient receives a $500 cash prize.Kuai Shen (Germany/Ecuador) for his installation "0h!m1gas: biomimetic stridulation environment" on view at InterAccess (9 Ossington Avenue) until May 18.

Marian McMahon AwardSponsored by Akimbo Art Promotions with film stock support from Kodak Canada, this award is given to a woman filmmaker each year to honour strong work in autobiography, the complexity of "subject" and the spirit of Marian McMahon. The recipient is invited to attend the Independent Imaging filmmaking retreat, held every each June in Mount Forest, Ontario facilitated by Philip Hoffman.Jodie Mack (Hanover, New Hampshire) for her film + performance "Dusty Stacks of Mom: The Poster Project"

York University Award for Best Student FilmPresented and sponsored by York University's Department of Film, the recipient receives a $500 cash award generously donated by the York University Department of Film and $250 worth of Super-8 to video transfer services from Frame Discreet. The recipient is determined by audience vote.John Warren (Cal Arts) for his film "Poppy Fields Forever"

Vtape Award for Best Student VideoThis longstanding award is presented by Vtape, Toronto's video art distributor and includes a $500 cash prize generously donated by Vtape and $250 worth of transfer servies from Frame Discreet. The recipient is determined by an audience vote.Joel Wanek (Duke University), for his video "Heart of Durham"

Tom Berner AwardThis award, sponsored by LIFT, (The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto) commemorates the late Tom Berner, who for many years supported and nurtured Canadian filmmakers. The award is presented annually to an individual who has provided extraordinary support to the cause of independent filmmaking in Toronto: The 2013 Tom Berner Award goes to Deirdre Logue.